


Payback

by MarcellusMiro66



Series: The Actionverse (or Crimeverse) [2]
Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Blood and Violence, Domestic Violence, F/M, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Sex, Sexual Violence, Shower Sex, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-10-31 22:33:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10908810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarcellusMiro66/pseuds/MarcellusMiro66
Summary: Revenge is a dish best served cold or hot. When Poppy suffers a trauma, Branch vows vengeance upon the troll responsible. Little does he know, Poppy takes a page or two from his book. Inspired by "Broken" by Crazydaydreamerz.





	1. The Incident / The Outcome

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own anything but my own OCs. This may be a potential crossover with certain animated movies, but I'm not saying which. As the summary suggests, this is obviously inspired by Crazydaydreamerz's Broken, the writer of which takes advantage of the story and concept. I don't mean to plagiarize that story and disrespect its author, but I'm merely using Broken as the base for my story. The story's plot and style take inspiration from Kill Bill, John Wick, Lady Snowblood, The Virgin Spring, The Bride Wore Black, and Unforgiven – all of which are revenge thrillers.
> 
> This is also set in modern times with modern technology (excluding cars and helicopters); I decided to do this as a means to combine stories set in the Trolls universe and stories set in the modern universe and do something different. If you disagree with this idea, then I apologize.
> 
> Enjoy! If you can...

Chapter 1 – The Incident / The Outcome

A few weeks have passed since the newfound peace between the Trolls and the Bergens has been established. No threats of war or breaking said newfound peace have been made so far, but King Peppy and Princess (now Queen) Poppy feared this would occur. Being something of a Papa Wolf to the rest of the Trolls (Poppy in particular), Peppy arranged for himself and the best of the best guard trolls to meet with King Gristle and establish a peacekeeping organization of sorts. It involved a rather uneasy alliance between the Trolls and the Bergens serving to protect the kingdom. Yes, it sounds simple as that.

While Peppy and the guards traveled to King Gristle's castle, Poppy stayed behind to watch over the rest of the Trolls, Branch and the Snack Pack keeping close supervision. Over the course to save them from the Bergens, the way she saw Branch changed. At first, she saw and thought of Branch as nothing more than a gloomy and introverted troll with prevailing survivalist skills and overt cynicism. But now? Now she and thought Branch as nothing less than a happy and extroverted troll with installing social skills and covert idealism. He was the savvy guy to her energetic girl, the brooding boy to her gentle girl, the cynic to her idealist. In the end... Need she say more?

Her friends seemed to notice this more. In spite of the fact that Branch formerly stated that he wasn't a fan of anything "cupcakes and rainbows", it was revealed that he keep all the past invitations to all of the parties thrown by the Trolls...specifically the ones owned by Poppy. Of course, they didn't know about this fact until Poppy herself accidentally spilled the beans to her friends. Thus the possibility of Branch being an implied love interest of Poppy was immediately instigated, much to the duo's dismay. While they both denied this possibility on multiple occasions, Poppy couldn't help but notice a hint of disappointment in Branch's response. She couldn't help but wonder...

_Was Branch really telling the truth?_

This question kept running through her head as she lead a scouting party to obtain supplies for the winter season. Ordering that they split up to accomplish this faster, this concerned Branch and her friends. Worried that something disastrous would occur should they split up, Poppy assuaged their worries that nothing would as the two villains of the entire Trolls vs. Bergens mess were gone now. Granted, Chef's excuse for capturing and serving the Trolls for eating was justifiable at best, but Creek's reason for selling them to her was absolutely unforgivable at worst. And to think, Poppy actually crushed on the guy! When looking back on it, it felt satisfying trying to strangle him to death.

And what did Branch do? Did nothing to stop her from doing so.

And actually smiling.

That last part never came into fruition until Poppy actually thought about it now, mainly because of her rage breaking point involving the backstabbing Creek. Nobody knew what eventually came of the betrayer, but she decided to let him suffer the fate he was given and state that he wasn't worth it. One could only imagine, however.

As Poppy gathered berries and placed them in her basket, she glanced around and found that she had wandered a little too far. _A little too far...?_ Poppy thought to herself. _Okay, I think it's time to get back to the group..._

**_SNAP!_ **

Poppy's head shot up and turned around to investigate. It proved to her own undoing as she was knocked unconscious.

**_THWACK!_ **

* * *

**_THUMP..._ **

Poppy's eyes fluttered open and she groaned in pain. Her body on fire, her vision blurred, and her arms and legs restrained... These factors all contribute to her body-aching pain, but for what reason remained unknown to her until...

**_"Ugh...!"_ **

Poppy's eyes now shot open in alarm now. Despite her blurred vision and numbed hearing, she recognized that voice and tone anywhere.

_Creek...?!_

_"Creek...?"_

The zen-like troll's behavior completely contrasted in his current state. He growled menacingly and swiftly slapped her.

**_"You don't understand, Poppy! You never will! You're mine! You will always be mine!"_ **

Creek continued his slapping at a slower pace at the same time of his rutting. Poppy needed to do something. She wanted to do something. She couldn't. She was bound, restrained...and trapped. She couldn't do nothing... Nothing but cry. Her tears swirled with blood as she struggled to get out of the grasp out of her former love interest.

_No, Poppy... You got this. You're capable, intelligent, and quick-thinking. You'll think of something...hopefully._

Poppy shifted her head back and forth for anything to use as a weapon. From the corner of her right eye, she saw it: a nearby pile of rocks and some sticks, which may seemed ineffectual but would do under the circumstances she was in. 

**_ "ARGH!"  _ **

Poppy glanced up to find Creek with a pained expression of bliss plastered over his face. She didn't know what to make of it at first. It was only when she glanced down at her body's lower half did her jaw hung agape in horror. 

_ Oh, no. No, no, no...  _

_"I told you, Poppy..."_ Creek forcefully tilted Poppy's head up face-to-face and smirked a sinister smirk, _"Some folks just don't wanna be happy."_

He kissed her. 

_ He **kissed** her.  _

Poppy acted fast and furious...quite _literally_. She kicked Creek in the groin area and a few centimeters away from her, crawled over to the rock pile, and cut her bounds with a few sharp ones. Taking them with her as she ran off, she found it incredibly difficult to see in the darkness of nighttime as she struggled to get away from Creek. When she turned back, Creek was trailing not far behind, a gathering of growls accompanying him as he went. She threw everything at him with all her might, but it was two sharp stones in particular that brought him down. Making certain that he wouldn't get back up again, she turned too late to find herself tumbling down the hill and knocking her head against a tree stump, cuts and bruises gained in the process. 

She passed out soon after.

* * *

 

_ "Poppy..." _

_ "Poppy...?"  _

_ "Poppy...!"  _

**_ "POPPY!"  _ **

Poppy suddenly shot up awake, screaming at the top of her lungs. She took heavy breaths and her once blurred vision soon readjusted. She, after glancing around, found herself back in her pod surrounded by her friends, her father, and... 

_ "Branch...?"  _

"Poppy," King Peppy slowly approached her frightened daughter, "Are you alright? What happened?" 

Poppy was unable to speak due to the traumatizing nature of the earlier brutalization, and when she did stumbled at her words. Eventually, she pulled herself together and spoke much clearly, 

_ "I...I was attacked. He did this to me. Creek..."  _

Everybody sans Poppy and Branch gasped in horrified shock; Poppy remained in solemn silence, while Branch changed to stunned silence. While her friends showed genuine concern over her attack, he and King Peppy expressed genuine disgust over her attacker. How could he - the normally calm and collected troll of the bunch - turn into him - the abnormally heartless and unsympathetic monster of the bunch - and do this to Branch's love / Peppy's passion? In the years during the Trolls's existence, there had never been an assault by a troll on another troll, let alone any harmless creature. 

To say that Branch and Peppy were angry would be the ultimate understatement in the entire universe. They weren't angry. 

They were enraged.

Infuriated.

_ Wrathful.  _

However, they dared not show it for Poppy's sake. Poppy herself found tears sliding down her swollen cheeks once again, wiping them away before anybody could notice. It wasn't that easy when you're in a crowded room surrounded by your closest friends and family, all eyes on you. Peppy was the first to notice and hugged his daughter out of comfort, a hug that she only halfheartedly returned. It was the second hug by Branch that she fully reciprocated, something Peppy and her friends noticed. 

_ "Branch... I... I don't know what to do. I need to tell you something, but I'm afraid it might..."  _

Poppy's voice faltered once more as she spoke to Branch, who placed both hands on both shoulders. "Shh, Poppy. I'm here. It's okay."

_"No, Branch... Creek raped me. He knocked me unconscious and tied me so I couldn't move. I couldn't stop him. I'm so sorry."_

Everybody sans Poppy and Branch gasped again in horrified shock, this time increasing ever so slightly. Branch hugged Poppy again, this time holding her tightly close. Poppy returned Branch's hug, this time holding him closely tight. As the hug ensued, Branch realized something.

That something within Branch changed him.

That something snapped.

_First the trolls, now Poppy? Creek only cared for himself. Now...the little **fucker** won't stand a chance. _

_"I'll gonna kill him..."_

Poppy and the rest of the room's inhabitants glanced and stared at Branch in stunned silence. He slowly broke away from his hug with her and mentally ranted on as he stared out the window, his hands balling into fists of fury.

_I don't know where he could be, I don't know how he got away... I'll find him. No matter where he runs, no matter where he hides... I'll find him. Nobody – and I mean nobody –hurts Poppy and gets away with it. I'll look for him...I'll find him...and I'll kill him. Not right away, but in time. I'm make him suffer, make him hurt, make him beg for Death to take him. When that day comes - but it better not - that's when I'll kill him. Revenge...is a dish best served freezing cold._

_"I'll kill him, Poppy. No matter where he runs, no matter where he hides... I'll murder him."_

Poppy, along with the room's other occupants was uncomfortably amazed by Branch's sudden shift in tone upon the revelation that Creek had beaten and raped her. Oh, yeah, Branch had changed.

_"I may have did. I threw a pile of rocks and sticks before continuing running."_

"Well, you did the right thing, Poppy," DJ Suki approached Poppy and hugged her, "Don't you worry, love. We'll find Creek and bring that traitor to justice."

"It's not Creek I'm worried about." That was the first sentence Poppy said above a whisper. Poppy watched with uncertain concern as Branch paced around. Despite her sorry state, she knew that this attack on her was taking its toll on him. It could've been worse; she could've turned grey. It could happen.

"Branch...?" He ceased his pacing and looked at her. "I'm okay."

"I know you are, Poppy. But...I can't believe that Creek of all trolls would do this to you. We...we need to find him."

"I agree, my boy," Peppy placed a reassuring hand on Branch's shoulder, "and we will. Creek will be brought to justice. I shall find and arrange my guards."

Peppy exited the pod and, not soon after, the Snack Pack bid Poppy goodnight and goodbye, leaving her and Branch all alone. Neither knew what to say.

"... Are you okay, Poppy?"

Poppy shook her head with an honest "No" accompanying it. 

"... I'm scared, Branch. Don't go..." 

Branch shot Poppy a soft and sincere smile and walked over to her side, "I won't." Poppy scooted over and left Branch lay down beside her. Crawling into the bed, he cuddled close to her, both kept warm by the love of each other that formed in their sleep. In their sleep, two thoughts were thought: 

_ Revenge is a dish best served freezing cold. _

_ Revenge is a dish best served flaming hot.  _

You can guess who thought what.

* * *

 

**_ SHIIIIING!!! _ **

The hooded figure drew its swords from its sheathes as numerous dummies were launched from the ground up. It began to slice and dice through them in order to test its combat tactics. Stabbing through their heads, disarming of their arms, and cutting at their legs were one of the many lethal strategies in its particular set of skills. 

All the dummies resembled Trolls and Bergens. 

When it was finished, the figure sheathed its swords and, sensing a rising presence behind it, drew one of the two-tone / threaded barreled SIG-Sauer P250 Compact pistols and fired two warning shots at the dummy. Into its head. 

The figure sighed softly, _"... Equanimity: a state of mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper...especially in a difficult situation."_

And then unhooded itself to reveal a female Troll with a two-tone (left black, right white) hair scheme, ash grey skin, and blue eyes.

"I don't have time for _fucking_ equanimity, though." 

The female Troll glanced around and gazed directly at the moonlight, _"Oh, Branch... Where are you?"_


	2. The Proposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of Chapter 1, Peppy and King Gristle discuss the hunt for Creek while Branch is confronted by an old familiar face. 
> 
> In this chapter, we are introduced to a few mild comic relief characters - specifically, Peppy's guards - to avoid this story from falling into the "Darkness Induced Audience Apathy" trope. Kudos for those who catch the (rather fairly obvious) "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" references.
> 
> Enjoy! If you can...

Chapter 2 - The Proposition

A few hours had passed since the intense incident that took the kingdom by storm. The news that the Queen had been attacked by another troll was no slouch in the gossip government, as it was the most talked-about event swiftly wiping out any additional competition that dared rival the tragedy that was the rape of Princess Poppy. A prosperous Queen she may be, but she was still the wise Princess in the others' eyes. The citizens had a sense of knowing that a kingdom-wide trollhunt would be underway eventually, so they saved the guards the hassle of warning them by barricading and securing their homes (and pods in the case of the Trolls themselves) beforehand. King Peppy himself met with King Gristle to explain and elaborate on the dire dilemma.

"So...Poppy's been assaulted?" King Gristle recoiled in disgusted shock as Bridget, who stood by her love's side, did the same thing whilst placing her hands above her mouth in silent horror.

"Unfortunately, yes." Peppy sadly nodded, "Creek was the culprit responsible."

"Ugh, I figured. Now I am starting to wish that I had ate him."

"Well..." one of five troll guards started unceremoniously, "If you had eaten Creek, Poppy would've gotten angry and killed you out of revenge, possibly realizing her mistake in the process. OR she could've fell into despair a little more faster than anybody would've expected and lost hope. Though, I'm starting to doubt either of those two possibilities happening, considering the Queen's personality."

"Actually..." a second guard jumped in the conversation, "From what I heard, Princess Poppy did fall into despair and even turned grey because that backstabbing Creek...well, stabbed us in the back."

"Yeah, and she would've remained as such had not Branch gave a big  ** _"I Love You."_**   Through song, no less."

Peppy, Gristle, Bridget, and the two remaining straight trolls looked at each other as if they were were trapped in a land of confusion, but the latter two in particular seemed profoundly perplexed beyond facial expressions. The two troll guard leaders both exchanged **_'W.T.F.'_** glances before the youngest of the two (the oldest was the team's mentor) stepped and cleared her throat,

"Xander, Willow, and Cordelia. Are you three done?"

The three talkative trolls realized _their_ mistake and sighed an apology, "Sorry, ma'am."

"Oh, it's quite alright, my three disciples." The Obi-Wan like troll stepped forward, "You just got a little...carried away, that's all."

"Carried away," the leader troll stated with a straight-face as she crossed her arms, "That's all. **_"Oh, it's quite alright, my three disciples."_** Decidedly _not okay_ when you're discussing a major incident that could lead to a war between us and them: _us_ being the Trolls and _them_ being the Bergens."

The mentor lowered his brows in an 'Are You Kidding Me' expression before smiling, walking forward to his apprentice's side, and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He did his best to discard her sarcasm mode to the side for the time being and turned to King Gristle,

"Do not worry, Your Majesty. Creek will be taken into custody soon enough."

"I hope so," Gristle and Bridget exchanged doubtful but faithful looks, "I can't risk the Bergens, the Trolls, and the possibility of war going together."

"But we can't go to war," Bridget shook her head, "We just can't."

"And we won't, my dear," Peppy took her large hand in his small own, "If we find Creek and make him answer for his crimes."

"I don't mean to be pessimistic and not an optimist, your King, but..." Xander rubbed the back of his neck, "Creek could be anywhere by now. The chances are finding him are a million in one."

"Then at least attempt to be optimistic, you pessimist," Cordelia smirked as she softly punched him on the arm, "The forest is the last place where Creek was seen, so we'll start there before working our way up."

"Let's not get overconfident with ourselves here," Willow crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Both of you have a point; Creek can be anywhere by now, but it's no excuse for us to lose hope."

She turned to both kings, "Don't worry, Your Majesties. We'll find Creek and bring the backstabber back for good old-fashioned justice." Before turning to her leader, "What do we do, Buffy?"

The leader could do nothing. Nothing but facepalm herself and groan in contempt at the resurgence of her long-lost nickname. Sighing swiftly substituted her gratuitous groaning and she quickly regained her composure,

"First of all...don't call that. Second of all...you're right." Buffy nodded in agreement, "We need to find Creek. Before he decides to rape another female troll."

She then drew her mini scythe from her satchel. This was no ordinary scythe; in fact, it was _extraordinary_. It resembled a Lochaber axe with moderate modifications - namely, a red steel head with a silver edge, a metallic handle, and a wooden stake attached to the handle's end. Yes, it was blatant in her belief that vampires, among other paranormal/supernatural beings, actually existed in the universe but never crept out of the shadows when the chances never came knocking on Hell's door. She wasn't the only one; in fact, the entire troll guards were a secret squadron of vampire hunters devoted to protecting the world from them. In spite of this, they actually made a few allies in said vampires. Alas, for allies in vampires, to enemies in Bergens.

But Bergens she hated more.

"Come on, gang."

"Right." Cordelia retracted open her crossbow and loaded a grappling hook arrow while Xander and Willow trailed close behind, the former sharpening his dull stakes while concerned for the latter lacking in weaponry.

"Willow...you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. Why I wouldn't be?"

Xander had no response, even after Willow turned to stare at him. Eventually after a few minutes, she shrugged it off and followed her teammates out the door. Their mentor looked on before he decided to leave as well.

"The question is...what to do with Creek after he is taken into custody."

"We can keep him in the castle," Bridget suggested, "away from Poppy just in case he gets any ideas."

"That's not a bad idea," Gristle smiled at her, "So that way, we can reduce the risk of Poppy getting hurt again. I'll have Chad and Todd keep close eyes on him during his time here."

"And I have an old friend who is a friend of Creek's," Peppy added, "She can tap into his subconscious and possibly locate the cause of his atrocious actions."

 _Possibly being the keyword..._ The middle-aged troll smoothed his nose bridge, commenting the familiarity of this subconscious-tapping troll, _We meet again, old friend._

"We need all the help we can get. Now, if you excuse me..." The troll slowly stood up and flattened out his black coat, "I must contend to my students." He then walked off and left the castle with his apprentices, leaving Peppy, Gristle, and Bridget to continue and finish the debate.

* * *

 

Deep within the forest, the mysterious hooded troll had found the remnants of her kin's ravaged village. Well, their "new" one. Judging by the looks of it, this village had been inhabited for nearly 20 years now, and its worn-out ruggedness was beginning to show by this point. It was also apparent that this raid was committed a few weeks ago two times in a row. The first one was clearly the work of Chef (as no other Bergen was near this area's radius besides her, who was formerly exiled); the second was also her, but she wasn't alone this time. She had help. Not just her cooking cronies, but somebody else. When she took in a clearer whiff of the essence left behind, her nose wrinkled and she shook her head in disorientation.

_I'm sensing personal hygiene was one of his "strong suits"._

Following the trail upward, she climbed up a mushroom and pinpointed the stench's strongest source. Taking a deep breath, she sniffed it all in and almost gagged/retched at the excess amount of cheap cologne/pricey perfume. _Wait...perfume is for girls._

Ignoring this for now, she closed her eyes and imagined the crime scene.

_She imagined..._

_She imagined..._

_And she imagined._

When she opened her eyes, a huff came out.

_"My dearest friend...what went wrong?"_

Her eyes narrowed at the voice void of any unsympathetic intent whatsoever. She ignored it. She carried the weight of her backpack on her shoulders as she ran off, not intending to stop until she found it.

The newly rejuvenated Troll Tree.

* * *

 

When she did, it was almost by miracle. Normally, the trip would normally take a day or two, considering the savage spiders, venomous Venus flytraps, and harmful hill monsters one such troll would encounter on said day-and-a-half trip. However, since her relentless pursuit for Branch didn't seem to give a fuck or two at the moment, this didn't deter her in the slightest. Of course, this came at a healthy price, as her rapid running towards journey's end took a toll on her muscular and respiratory systems.

When she was finally out of breath, she limped to and leaned against the wall. Catching her breath and shaking her head, she glanced up to find titanic tunnels which lead one way or another.

_Ugh, shit. I forgot about this. I **always** forget about this._

_"Choose wisely..."_

_Aw, fuck. I apparently forgot about him, too._

"Cloud Guy?"

"At your service, milady." The conscious cloud stepped out sideways from his hiding place, "So you do remember me?"

"It depends. Do _you_ remember _me_?"

"Pssh. How could I forget? It's good - no, scratch that, _great_ \- to see you again, my dear - "

"Okay, okay," she raised her hands up to deter him from continuing, "Let's not get past that point just yet, shall we? Listen...have you seen my friend Branch? He's got grey skin, black hair, green-and-brown clothes..."

She trailed off, thinking that Cloud Guy would get the idea. He did, but he didn't show it. Instead, he subconsciously smirked and rubbed his chin in "deep" thinking, "Hmm. Does this Branch have a grumpy, stubborn, and sarcastic but protective persona?"

She was taken aback by her question being answered with another question.

"I take it you know him?"

"Not very much. For starters, he now has teal skin, blue hair, lighter clothes...but he's still sarcastic."

"Just...not as much?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

_Hmm... Years of self-exile and isolation can do wonders for you, I suppose, Branch._

"Do you know where he is?"

"You seem pretty desperate."

"I _am_ pretty desperate."

Thus, the conversation ended before it even started. Nothing more than small talk occurred between them as they made their way up. It was different than the last time she were here.  _I mean, not necessarily **different** , per se, but... New and improved is the phrase I would use._

"You impressed?"

"Impressed? I'm _amazed_ that they got this far."

"Yeah, me too, kid. Well..." Cloud Guy turned tail and walked off, "I'll see you around for now; I think this is something you need to do yourself."

"Wow, thanks for the moral support, Cloud Guy."

"Anytime, kid. Anytime."

His "Anytime" echoed as he descended downstairs back to his hiding place, intending to greet any more visitors. She faced forward and walked to be greeted by a burst of colorful pods.  _Now...which one is Branch's?_ It turns out that she didn't need to find him.

 _He_ found _her_.

**_SHIIIIING!_ **

_Oh..._

* * *

 

_Shit..._

The Queen's aide known as Branch couldn't believe what he was seeing. The queen's aide known as Branch _shouldn't_ believe what he was seeing. He cocked his head in confounded confusion at his old friend - his best friend and his _only_ friend - standing there in front of him. Alive and well in the flesh. And still grey as ever...but with a twist.

Alas, Branch could **_and_** should.

_"Faith...?"_

The hair-hybrid troll known as Faith couldn't believe what she was seeing. The hair-hybrid troll known as Faith _shouldn't_ believe what she was seeing. She blinked her eyes in bewilderment at her old friend - her best friend and her only friend - standing there in front of her. Alive and well in the flesh. And displaying his true colors...but with a sword.

Alas, Faith could **_and_** should.

"Yeah, good to see you again."

"... Same."

Suddenly, Faith drew her suppressed P250 Compact and opened fire on Branch, who dodged the bullets as they were shot his way.

**_PHT! PHT! PHT! PHT!_ **

Of course, this was occurring when everybody was safe and sound in the comfort of their pods. Thus, it felt like DJ Suki's business to snoop around after hours. She felt her jaw hang agape as she watch the two former frenemies fight each other like it was _nobody's_ business. 

_Who is that...?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you are wondering, no. No, this is NOT a "Trolls/Buffy" crossover; I just named the characters as such because I loved the show and Joss Whedon's style.


End file.
